I didn’t really want to read this book. I scored it for seven bucks on a discount table but it sat in my closet for over a year before I reluctantly picked it up. I feared reading this book for being brought to the lowest of the low. I mean a true-life story about a girl imprisoned in her teens as a political prisoner during the Islamic Revolution? How could this book take me anywhere but down?

I stand shamefully corrected.

At age 16 Marina Nemat is arrested as a political prisoner and subject to torture in the notorious prison Evin. Downer. But although Nemat’s experience starts off raw and cruel, it later morphs into a story about but her time inside and an unlikely relationship with a prison guard. The story goes to such an unexpected place you’ll conclude that Nemat may just be the luckiest unlucky person that ever lived. Other surprises: Nemat’s a Christian. Her struggle with the enforcement of Muslim customs in Evin and on the streets of Iran is relatable. This book is a great read and full of unexpected turns that will keep you reading until the wee hours of the night.